Narora Nuclear Power Plant

Continuous power generation is an important necessity for the betterment of the nation. It is a basic requirement that should be generated in larger amounts. It can be generated by using coal and hydel power, but large amounts of power can be generated in nuclear power stations as they generate high power in a short span of time. One of the nuclear power plants located in Uttar Pradesh is the Narora Atomic Power station or Narora Nuclear Power Plant. It consists of two units and is operated by NPCIL.

Uses of Nuclear Power Plants

A nuclear energy power plant produces nuclear energy that meets the demand for energy and ensures the peaceful use of atomic energy. Nuclear power plants also produce radioisotopes. Radioisotopes are used for many medical purposes like sterilisation, cancer treatment, production of nuclear medicine, and radiopharmaceuticals. They are also used for agricultural purposes like radiation processing and seed production. 

Narora Nuclear Power Plant

The Narora Nuclear Power Plant is located in the town of Narora in the district of Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. It is also named Narora Atomic Power Station. It is operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). NPCIL is the owner, operating company, and construction contractor of the Narora Nuclear Power Plant. NPCIL is responsible for every operation like the commission, design, and construction of reactors used in nuclear power plants.

Narora Nuclear Power Plant can be reached by air and rail transport, i.e., via the Indira Gandhi International Airport and Rajghat Narora Railway Station, respectively. Narora Nuclear Power Plant project commenced in the year of 1991. Narora Power Plant is baseload and is an operational plant. An electric power grid is connected to a regional grid. The Ganges river is used as a water cooling source.

Units of Narora Nuclear Power Plant

There are two operational units in Narora Nuclear Power Plant, namely, IN-7 Narora 1 and IN-8 Narora 2.

IN-7 Narora 1

Narora 1 unit uses a pressurised heavy water reactor. It uses a horizontal pressure tube. It requires 33.67 TW.h of electricity and has a load factor of 61%. This unit produces a power of 220 MW. The construction of the Narora 1 unit commenced on December 1, 1976, and it became operational on January 1, 1991. 

IN-8 Narora 2

Narora 2 unit also uses a pressurised heavy water reactor. It uses a horizontal pressure tube. It requires 33.37 TW.h of electricity and has a load factor of 63.9%. This unit produces a power of 220 MW. The construction of the Narora 2 unit commenced on November 1, 1977, and it became operational on July 1, 1992. 

Manufacturers

• The turbine is manufactured by BHEL, Bhopal. 
• The reactors are manufactured by the NPCIL or BARC. 
• The generators are manufactured by BHEL Haridwar.

Reactors 

The reactor generates steam that is used to drive the turbo-generator. There are two reactors used in two operational units in Narora Nuclear Power Plant. Both the reactors are pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR). This produces 220 MW of electricity. Since 2014, the two reactors are under IAEA monitoring after signing 3 agreements. The heat in the reactors can be reduced using the primary coolant systems. The cooling resources are water from the Ganga river and Narora Barrage.

Power Generation in Narora Nuclear Power Plant

There are two operational units in total. Each unit produces 220 MW of power. The nameplate capacity of the Narora Power Plant is 404 MW. The capacity factor percentage of power is 85.22%. Each year, the Narora Nuclear Power Plant produces a power capacity of 3284.81 GWh.

The power generated in Narora Nuclear Power Plant is listed from 2013 to 2016 in the below tabular column.

The power generated each year is measured in Million Units (MU).

Major Accident in Narora Nuclear Power Plant

A nuclear meltdown occurred on May 31, 1993 due to an issue in the cabling system of the reactor. The malfunctioning of steam turbine blades resulted in a fire. 

Conclusion

Narora Nuclear Power Plant is one of the finest nuclear power stations situated in the western parts of Uttar Pradesh. It is also named Narora Atomic Power station. There are two operational units called IN-7 Narora 1 and IN-8 Narora 2 power plants. The design, construction, and operation of Narora are managed by the NPCIL. It is an operational plant, which serves as a baseload power plant. In this plant, the PHWRs are used. The radioisotopes and nuclear energy produced from the power plant are used for agricultural and medical purposes.